Equal Chain Setup

The 5 links loose sounds like a lot, but if you followed directions is what matters. The spring bars may be slightly different and the chains as well. I adjusted the u-bolt to help compensate for the difference on mine. After the first bar is installed the effort for the second one will change. No, they don't have to be exactly the same.

Are you raising the tongue with the jack up above level after connecting the ball, before attaching the bars?

Are you parked straight on....trailer and tow vehicle in line?

Your post is vague, but I will ASSUME that you are not referring to the trailer safety chains.

In my oh so humble opinion...

ASSUMING all things are equal (same U bolt, same chain & brackets parrallel on trailer frame) Both sides of a WDH should be hooked to an equivalent chain link. Otherwise you risk one bar being tight, the other being a bit loose....which means the tight chain is taking the brunt of the load (maybe exceeding it's limits).

My driveway is less-than-level, and I have to lift the trailer higher in order to get the passenger side on without overly straining myself. Try lifting the nose of the trailer in order to get the high side first....should make the low side real easy to attach.

Check to see if you are aligned to the trailer when hooking up. Having your TV slightly ****-eyed will mean that one bar is being pulled forward, while the other is being pushed backwards. It may not seem like much of a difference, but those chains are under extreme loads. If your brackets are set up in a fashion that the chains are less than verticle (pulling a bit forward or backwards)this could align one chain, while making the other further away. AGAIN...raise trailer high enough to safely attach the tighter of the two, the other one should be easy.

Hope this makes sense....hope it helps.

EDIT: Guess I shouldn't have said ****-eyed. In future post I must remember to use crooked, not stright, bent....or anything besides ****-eyed.

Will it work without the hyphen... cockeyed.

MORE EDIT: IT WORKED. Must have been the hyphen that was being BANNED.

Yes, the trailer is straight and flat and connected with the jack still engaged holding the trailer in place. I start attaching the chains at the level where the ball just hits the trailer as its lowered and i stop the jack.

karlrmac wrote:
Yes, the trailer is straight and flat and connected with the jack still engaged holding the trailer in place. I start attaching the chains at the level where the ball just hits the trailer as its lowered and i stop the jack.

Next, latch the coupler and raise the whole shebang.

Chain lengths should be the same if you are connecting to the same location on the hitch and chains are connected to the same area on the tongue.
Once set up, paint the link used.

cb....

Yes, not the safety chains :)

I'll dbl ck the effect you described in your post, but i thought it always strange it happens the same everywhere and was wondering if anyone else noticed this. Even when i get the TV driver side on easily with 5 loose, the TV passenger is tougher. There is no rule telling me to have 5 loose, but if i go 4 loose, i really don't have to use the brass bar on the TV driver side b/c its too easy and i figure if its that easy, there has got be a problem.

Karl

karlrmac wrote:
Yes, the trailer is straight and flat and connected with the jack still engaged holding the trailer in place. I start attaching the chains at the level where the ball just hits the trailer as its lowered and i stop the jack.

Connect the ball and then raise everything (tow vehicle and trailer) back to about 1-2" above level with the jack. Now connect your chains. It will be much easier.

thanks, it does make it easier. i never thought about going that high though, will next time. :)

sch911 wrote:

karlrmac wrote:
Yes, the trailer is straight and flat and connected with the jack still engaged holding the trailer in place. I start attaching the chains at the level where the ball just hits the trailer as its lowered and i stop the jack.

Connect the ball and then raise everything (tow vehicle and trailer) back to about 1-2" above level with the jack. Now connect your chains. It will be much easier.